15th Amendment To The United States Constitution

By Jacob, Alex, Michelle, and Shane

The 15th amendment was passed on February 26, 1869 and adopted to the Constitution on February 3, 1870. It stated that African American's voting rights will not be denied because of race, color, or previous condition of enslavement. After the law was passed, 1 million blacks registered to vote. This amendment was the third of the reconstruction amendments. The reconstruction amendments were made to reconstruct the South after the Civil War. Some of the amendments were more successful in the sense that they actually worked than others. Southerners found many loopholes in this and they treated African Americans very unequal, they segregated schools, public eateries, and even public transportation.

Table of Contents

Notes

States "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied to abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude"

Means that Blacks and Whites voting rights should be equal

one million freedmen registered to vote after amendment was ratified

Voting rights will not be denied because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

Henry Adams said it was "more remarkable for what it does, not than for what it does contain"

The third amendment of the Reconstruction acts amendments

Through the use of taxes, tests and other means the south was able to take away this right

The full rights of this amendment would not be realized for almost century

Intended Consequences

newspaper drawing showing an african american democrat voting

What were the expected changes for former slaves because of the policy?

One expected change was that African Americans would have more rights and more respect

What were the expected benefits former slaves would receive from the policy?

One benefit from this amendment was that African Americans would be able to vote

In hindsight, were those expectations realistic? Why or why not?

No, because this was made not to long after the civil war so the south still had slavery in their heads

Actual Consequences

What were the actual benefits former slaves received from the policy?

They had the chance to vote, Segregation was starting to come to an end, Felt like they had equal rights with whites

What was the reaction of others (all interested parties such as Democrats, Republicans, former slaves, land owners, etc.) to the policy?

The Southerners

What were the long term consequences of the policy?

Slaves who voted mostly voted for the democratic party so republicans were out of luck

What were the actual changes for former slaves because of the policy?

The South got mad, because they still wanted slavery and did not want to treat the African Americans better. So, the former slaves did not get treated much different

African American former slaves in line to vote

Conclusion

This amendment helped make the lives of the former slaves more social. This amendment made it so that the former
slaves had a opinon in the community. It allowed them to vote but people still disrespected them.
Even though they had the right to vote they people like the Klu Klux Klan and other anti-african american groups
terrorized them and tried to take their rights away.

Related Topics

Annotated Resources

Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, Southern states were able to effectively disgrace African Americans

The amendment stated that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

It states simply that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied to abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude"

Henry Adams said it was "more remarkable for what it does, not than for what it does contain"

Did not guarantee Blacks the right to be president or anything of that nature